1. Business Research for Decision Making Sixth Edition by Duane Davis Chapter 6 Fundamentals of Research Design
PowerPoint Slides for the Instructor’s Resource Manual for

2. Research Design
Is the structure of the research project to solve a particular problem?
Its purpose is to guide researchers in answering problems.
Is a series of tradeoffs and compromises.
Potential Sources of Error in the Design Process:
1. Planning – faulty designs
2. Collection – actual collection of data
3. Analytical – the way the data is analyzed
4. Reporting- errors in interpretation

3. MaxiMinCon Principle
Researchers are guided by the MaxiMinCon Principle
Maximize systematic variance
Minimize error variance
Control extraneous variance
Design is the researcher’s attempt at variance control.

4. MaxiMinCon Principle, continued
Four Primary Means to Control Variance
1. Build the variable into the study
2. Exclude the variable from the study
3. Statistically control the variable(s) through covariance analysis
4. Randomization

5. Potential Sources of Error in the Research Design Process
Table 6.1

6. Managerial Strategies for Dealing with Error
Planning Error - well thought out proposals that are specific in design aspects– evaluated impartially
Collection Error – careful execution of planned design – periodic managerial evaluations
Analytical Error – justification of analytical methods – outside evaluation
Reporting Error – unbiased and knowledgeable reviewers – commonplace in rigorous research environments

7. Schematic Diagrams Illustrating Moderation & Intervening Variables
Figure 6.1
Schematic Diagrams Illustrating Moderation & Intervening Variables
Source: Adapted from Uma Sekaran,
Research Methods for Managers
(New York: Wiley, 1984), pp. 50–58.

8. Internal Validity Are the results of the study true?
Is what has taken place due to the variables the researcher claims to be
operating or could something else have taken place?

9. Internal Validity
History: events outside the study affect the results. E.g. high unemployment
Maturation: changes in respondents over time
Testing: halo effect, Hawthorne effect – are the respondents tipped about what your are studying?
Instrumentation: changes in the instrument over time.
Selection: differences among groups; respondents vs. non-respondents
Mortality: people drop out of a study over time

10. External Validity

11. What is causality and proof?
Can anything be proven?

13. Causality
Theory – a reason why one variable should cause an effect in another
Correlation
Time order: cause MUST proceed effect
Rule out other explanations for the effect or spurious variables

14. Comparison of the Major Types of Research Designs
Table 6.2
©2005 by Duxbury
A division of Thomson Learning

15. Sources of Invalidity for Basic Research Designs*
Table 6.3
Source: Donald T. Campbell and Julian C. Stanley: Experimental and Quasi-Experimental Designs for Research, copyright © 1963, Houghton Mifflin Company, used by permission.

16. R - Randomly  A - Assign to conditions of  I - Independent variable, then observe on  D - Dependent variable, for E- Experimental R - Research 

17. major research methods tend to have strengths, as well as weaknesses.
Ability to Infer Causality (INTERNAL VALIDITY)
Low
High
Ability to Represent Real-life Situations (EXTERNAL  VALIDITY)
EXPERIMENTS
SURVEYS
This would be the ideal – strong in both areas

18. Managerial Concerns No single correct design
Design to answer the research problem
All research design represents a compromise
A design is not a framework to be followed blindly

19. Key Managerial Questions Pertaining to Research Design